Strain-dependent activation of NF-κB in the airway epithelium and its role in allergic airway inflammation

NF-κB activation in the airway epithelium has been established as a critical pathway in ovalbumin (Ova)-induced airway inflammation in BALB/c mice (Poynter ME, Cloots R, van Woerkom T, Butnor KJ, Vacek P, Taatjes DJ, Irvin CG, Janssen-Heininger YM. J Immunol 173: 7003–7009, 2004). BALB/c mice are susceptible to the development of allergic airway disease, whereas other strains of mice, such as C57BL/6, are considered more resistant. The goal of the present study was to determine the proximal signals required for NF-κB activation in the airway epithelium in allergic airway disease and to unravel whether these signals are strain-dependent. Our previous studies, conducted in the BALB/c mouse background, demonstrated that transgenic mice expressing a dominant-negative version of IκBα in the airway epithelium (CC10-IκBαSR) were protected from Ova-induced inflammation. In contrast to these earlier observations, we demonstrate here that CC10-IκBαSR transgenic mice on the C57BL/6 background were not protected from...